2008 Quarterback Rankings
posted in Chad Henne, Andre Woodson, Colt Brennan, Brian Brohm, 2008 NFL Draft, College Football |The War Room Report has published our first round of rankings for the 2008 NFL Draft. We started with the quarterback class, which is strong in 2008 and much deeper than previous drafts, especially if a few of the top juniors come out.
Brian Brohm is our easy #1, as he is on almost every list of the top 2008 QB Prospects. Brohm is one of the few prospects who can realstically be considered for the #1 overall spot come next April, with his combination of arm strength, accuracy, and experience. However, one wonders if he will suffer from the same nitpicking that Brady Quinn and Matt Leinart have in recent seasons. Both entered their senior season as the #1 QB on the board, but saw others pass them before the draft. Brohm has a host of players to hold off and any holes in his game will be sure to be picked apart during the season and pre-draft process.
While choosing our #1 QB prospect was easy, there was considerable disagreement about the remainder of the board. In the end we only had to go about an hour east to Lexington to find our #2 ranked QB in Andre Woodson from Kentucky. Woodson is a strong armed player who has flourished under Rich Brooks. He really stepped it up in his junior season, throwing for 31 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions. He leads a potent offense at Kentucky that features prospects Rafael Little, Keenan Burton, and Jacob Tamme and will get ample opportunity to pass behind a poor defense.
The #3 spot in the rankings goes to prolific Hawaii QB Colt Brennan. While most of the main stream media will focus on the questions about Brennan being a “system quarterback” and solely a product of June Jones’ run and shoot, that is not the real concern. Brennan has a stronger arm than many other run and shoot QBs and a quick release. The Timmy Chang comparisons are not relevant and frankly a little bit lazy. The real concern is how Brennan’s body will handle the pounding of the NFL. Listed at 6′3 and 196, Brennan is going to have to prove to scouts that he can function at the NFL level. The size concerns could be alleviated by strong workouts or favorable measurements at the pre-draft camps, but Brennan may still slide down draft boards and have to wait for his chance to compete for an NFL job.
Chad Henne of Michigan will be in the top 3 on many pre season draft boards, but concerns about his mobility have dropped him on the War Room Report rankings. There are no concerns about his arm strength, which is at an elite level. Henne should get a chance to shine in 2007 on a very talented Michigan offense. He should shine in off-season workouts and is very likely to go higher than ranked here. He certainly has the physical tools to be a first round draft pick.
Erik Ainge is probably the quarterback that our scouts were split on the most. Some had him ranked 2nd behind Brohm, while others dropped him even further down than 5th. His supporters point to an outstanding junior season, his first with David Cutcliffe, and his strong arm. His detractors argue his flaws are much like Henne’s - below average mobility. They also question rather he has the accuracy to succeed at the NFL level. His performance during the ‘07 season will go a long way to determine his draft status.
It is very early to be projecting the 2008 NFL Draft and our rankings are just guidelines for the start of the season. We have only ranked 10 players to start the season, and the rankings will likely change during the season as players are evaluated. Never the less, it is a fun exercise to kick start the 2008 NFL Draft Season.
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